This invention relates to an improved method for augmenting the detection of abnormal cell mass in animals utilizing fluorocarbon emulsions.
Medical diagnosis often involves detecting abnormalities in the body using chemicals that differentially contact and/or are taken up by the abnormality thus allowing it to be contrasted from surrounding normal tissues, organs, or bone, as revealed by suitable imaging techniques. To properly image an area of the body, chemical imaging agents must be used and targeted to the desired area. Imaging chemicals fall into four broad categories: those that are radioactive, radiopaque, or paramagnetic, and those that modify acoustic signals. Several factors are considered in choosing a suitable agent--two being the level of sensitivity needed and the imaging method, and the cost and technical problems associated with the use of a particular chemical. Prior work, specifically that of Long and coworkers in Surgery, Volume 84, Pages 104-112 (1978) and Aranbulo and coworkers in Drug Development Communications, Volume 1, Pages 73-87 (1974), has shown that radiopaque flurocarbons are suitable imaging agents. As taught by Long in U.S. Pat. No. 3,975,512 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,073,879, they are generally administered to an animal as an emulsion consisting of synthetic or naturally occurring emulsifiers, an example of the former being Pluronic F-68 and the latter being lecithin. Moreover, despite the fact that they are less costly to use than radioactive imaging agents, they are nevertheless also quite expensive and possess dose-related side effects. Thus a technique that would increase the imaging-contrast sensitivity and hence decrease the cost of using radiopaque chemicals is highly desirable.